Persons
receiving the radios will own them outright and are responsible
for maintenance and battery replacement. The radios will come with
batteries and will already be programmed to receive activations
from Tuscaloosa County.
Applications
are available at the following:
·
Alabama Department of Public Health
· American Red Cross - West Alabama Chapter
· Caring Days
· Community Services
· DCH Home Health Care
· First United Methodist Church of Tuscaloosa (Joe Bruner)
· FOCUS on Senior Citizens
· PARA
· Salvation Army
· Temporary Emergency Services
"Hurricane
Katrina exposed a glaring need for an increased ability for senior
citizens and special needs persons to be able to receive severe
weather and other hazard information," says TC-VOAD Chair Karen
Thompson. "Many of the most vulnerable among us cannot afford
to purchase even a moderately priced NOAA Weather Radio. Tuscaloosa
County VOAD is all about helping people. For that reason giving
older and special needs county residents an opportunity to receive
enough advance warning to increase the chances of saving their lives
is critical."
WHAT
IS THE BUSH-CLINTON KATRINA FUND?
The Bush-Clinton Katrina Fund was established to assist counties
and parishes impacted by Hurricane Katrina in September 2004. Allocations
are being disbursed in stages in Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana
as the Bush-Clinton Katrina Fund receives and approves detailed
plans for the governance and oversight of fund distribution within
each state and the specifics for how the money will be used in each
state. United Way of West Alabama is serving as the agent for receiving
and disbursement of the grant money to TC-VOAD.
In
the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and her immense devastation and
at the request of President George W. Bush, former Presidents George
H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton established the Bush-Clinton Katrina
Fund to provide mitigation, longer-term relief and rebuilding resources.
Tuscaloosa County qualified for the program because it was one of
the Alabama counties that received a Presidential Disaster Declaration
due to the level of Hurricane Katrina damage in the county.
TC-VOAD
has also been awarded grant money to purchase several medium and
large size portable emergency generators. These generators will
be used to provide emergency power to public shelters and critical
needs facilities during extended power outages. By law they will
be available only to community facilities and not individuals.
The
grant program is part of an ongoing effort by TC-VOAD's 38 member
agencies and organizations to mitigate and/or reduce the impact
of disasters and large-scale emergencies on the residents of Tuscaloosa
County through planning, training and preparedness exercises. TC-VOAD
is sponsored by the Tuscaloosa County Local Emergency Planning Committee
and is part of the county's Citizens Corps program.
Persons
seeking further information can call Bridgett Gilley at 758-5535.
|
